CTs Can Find Risky Calcium in Arteries

A computed tomography (CT) scan can help predict the risk of a heart attack, a study finds. But it’s unclear if the scans are worth the cost, $300 to $600. Researchers gave CT scans to more than 6,700 men and women. They were white, black, Chinese and Hispanic. Some people’s scans showed large amounts of calcium in the walls of the heart arteries. They were 10 times more likely to have major heart events in the next four years as those with the least calcium in their arteries. Events included heart attacks, heart-related death, major chest pain and procedures to unblock heart arteries. HealthDay News wrote about the study March 26. It was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.